The present disclosure generally relates to methods of fabricating nano-scale level alignment patterns for liquid crystals to create switchable optical components.
In the fabrication of components that utilize switchable photonics, such as liquid crystal displays, the liquid crystals (LCs) in the component are initially aligned to a specific pattern. Upon application of an electric current, the LCs may deviate from their original alignment in accordance with the electric field produced by the electric current. The different alignments of the LCs affect the polarization and phase of light traversing through the LCs. Thus, the initial alignment of the LCs is important in determining the subsequent performance of the switchable photonics component. However, current methods of initial alignment of LCs do not allow a high degree of customizability and throughput at a low fabrication cost. For example, the rubbing method is commonly used to prepare an initial alignment for LCs by rubbing a soft polymer on a surface to generate microscopic grooves upon which LCs can align. Another commonly used method is pre-patterning. However, this method is complex, slow, expensive, and can generate unwanted diffraction effects in the final product.